On Tuesday, May 20,
2008, we depart on what promises to be a remarkable journey to Turkey.
We will be gone from May 20th – May 31st.

We look forward to
sharing with you words and images that try to capture our experience.
We are unsure how frequently we will have internet access, but we will
do our best to fill these pages with at least some glimpses of our
expedition.

Our trip is sponsored
by the Institute for Interfaith Dialog. IID is an extraordinary
organization “whose
primary goal is to help bring together the communities in order to
promote compassion, cooperation, partnership and community service
through interfaith dialog and conversation.” For more information about
IID, please visit their Website (http://www.interfaithdialog.org).

We
hope you enjoy.
Gary and Karla

30 May 2008
We End at the BeginningToday is our
last full day in Istanbul; we leave at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday. We
are grateful for the opportunity, saddened by our departure, awed by our
experience, and humbled by the gracious generosity of our hosts.
Turkey is in our hearts, and it will remain there forever.

29 May 2008
Bon Appetit--Istanbul StyleWe return to Istanbul for a busy
day traveling around the city. We visit a hospital, we take a boat
tour around the city, we meet with an impressive alliance for women, and
we visit the STV television studio, where we meet the host of Turkey's
most popular cooking show.

On the Set with
Chef Oktay

One of the Chef's
Many Best-Selling Cookbooks

28 May 2008
Izmir Takes Us Way, Way Back in TimeToday we went back in time as we
traveled outside Izmir to visit the home of the Virgin Mary (in Turkey
they say "Mother Mary"), and the Roman ruins at Ephesus. Much like
Aspendos the day before, I was able to able to walk on the stones of the
Roman theatre structure that I have tried to tell students about for
many years.
From Ephesus we traveled to St. Johan (St. John) Basilica and to the magnificent
mosque that resides right next to it. Finally, we returned to
Izmir where we enjoyed supper with another wonderful host family.

The head of
Medusa carved in stone at Ephesus.

The Majestic
Library at Ephesus.

27 May 2008
Yes, There Are Camels in Turkey and in AntalyaWhat a day.
We visited the Tolerance Garden outside Antalya, the extraordinarily well-preserved
Theatre at Aspendos, and a refreshing and picturesque waterfall. We
also had yet another wonderful meal at the home of a guest family. Oh
yes, our hotel rooms overlooked the Mediterranean.

26 May 2008
Excellence in Education in Antep
We visited another Peace and Friendship school today, and the story we
heard was very similar to the other schools we have visited.
Emphasis is placed on high academic achievement and a strong
relationship between students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
And the students seem to be having a wonderful time.

The school's "logo" is
displayed throughout the building; it is even woven into the
carpet.

Just a few
of the many students with whom we visited.

25 May 2008
Roosters & Roses Greet Us in Harran and AntepToday was yet another hectic yet
beautiful day. We visited the world's oldest university located in
Harran as well as their cone houses. We visited another elementary
school and learned how educators are achieving academic excellence in
Turkey. We visited the birthplace of Abraham, the Cave of Job, and
the Halil-ur Rahman
Pool (Fish Lake). We traveled two
hours by bus and walked in the waters of the Euphrates River. We
ended the day enjoying the hospitality and food of a lovely host family
in Antep.

A roster points our way in Harran.

Beautiful roses
from the Host Family's Garden outside Antep

24 May 2008
Greetings and Expressions of Love and Peace from Urfa

We
were honored and blessed to visit the most wonderful family and their
friends in Urfa. The meal they prepared was magnificent, and the
discussion we had was unforgettable. We were deeply touched by
their wisdom, their generosity, and their warmth.

23 May 2008
Greetings from the Children of Konya!

22 May 2008
Greetings from the Topkapi Palace!

21 May 2008
We have arrived! It was a very long trip, and we are tired but
thrilled.